September Wrap Up

October 2, 2017

Hello again friends! I’m sorry about the radio silence lately, but between a vacation, a cold, 2 training sessions at work, and a new position at work, I’ve been insanely busy for most of the month. I made it through all of one book! (I did read a little of the half dozen other books I am in the middle of, but I only finished one.) So, onward to my review!

Sourdough by Robin Sloan – 4.5 stars. I liked this book a LOT. As in, I finished it and brought it with me on vacation so I could shove it at a friend is normally 3000 miles away from me so she could read it too. Let me start off by saying that this is a weird, quirky, contemporary book, so if that is not your style you definitely won’t like this one. Our main character is Lois. She’s a stressed out, overworked programmer in San Francisco, putting in 80+ hours a week at her job and hating things. One day she comes home and finds a menu from a new place on her door. She calls and orders dinner and falls in love with the food. When the owners of the restaurant have their visas revoked and have to move back to their homeland, they gift Lois with the starter for their sourdough bread. She starts baking her own bread and quickly learns that there is more to the starter than meets the eye. Hijinks ensue, all the while poking fun at the bay area, tech companies, liquid food, and the culture of work needing to be the most important thing in your life.

As I have a lot of friends in the tech industry (and am tangentially in it myself) I adored the portrayals of tech bros, the pressure to work every moment of your life, and the idea that hobbies are weird things no one should have unless they can profit from them somehow. The kind of hipster food trends also get lampooned a fair bit and that was always good for a laugh too. There are some good ideas on finding things that make you happy and taking time for yourself to take away. If you are a foodie, getting some of the science on how starters work, and the best ways to make bread were fun too!

Overall, if you’re looking for a lighter read, some hilarity, and a sourdough starter with a mind all of its own, I highly recommend Sourdough.